Portable device, charging system, and power source circuit substrate

ABSTRACT

A portable device including a secondary battery, a plurality of driving components driven by charged power of the secondary battery, a charging unit configured to charge the secondary battery by an input of outside power supplied from outside of the portable device, a plurality of transformation units each configured to output the charged power of the secondary battery at a driving voltage of a corresponding one of the plurality of driving components, a detection unit configured to detect the input of the outside power to the charging unit, and a switching controller configured to switch a state of one of the plurality of transformation units from an operation state to a stopped state responsive to detecting the input of the outside power to the charging unit causing only the corresponding one of the plurality of driving components to stop operation during charging of the secondary battery.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 16/169,342 filed on Oct.24, 2018, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/422,233filed on Feb. 18, 2015, which in turn is a National Phase Application ofPCT/JP2014/064335 filed on May 29, 2014, which claims the benefit ofJP2014-083538 filed on Apr. 15, 2014, JP2013-218842 filed on Oct. 22,2013, and JP2013-183130 filed on Sep. 4, 2013. The disclosures of theprior applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a portable device, a charging system,and a power source circuit substrate, which have a function of notallowing a driving component to operate when a secondary battery isbeing charged.

BACKGROUND

In known arrangements, in order to prevent a driving component (which isdriven by power of a secondary battery) from operating while thesecondary battery is being charged (to prevent unnecessary discharge andmalfunction), a manual on-off mechanism employing a pushbutton (e.g.,PTL 1) or an automatic on-off mechanism employing a mechanical contact(e.g., PTL 2) has been used to stop the operation of the drivingcomponent during the charging.

When the mechanism above is employed, another action is required inaddition to the charging operation, in order to stop the operation ofthe driving component during the charging. This is not disadvantageouswhen, for example, the driving component is a mobile phone, because themobile phone is required to perform its function even during thecharging.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

[PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-84240

[PTL 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-50795

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in accordance with the use of the driving component, thedriving component may not be required to operate during the charging, orthe driving component is required not to operate during the charging.For example, in case of hearing aids, a user typically attaches thehearing aids to one's ears' when getting up, and removes and charges thehearing aids when going to bed. In other words, the hearing aids are notrequired to operate during the charging. Under these circumstances, itis tiresome to take an action in addition to the charging operation inorder to stop the operation of the driving component during thecharging.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a portabledevice, a charging system, and a power source circuit substrate, inwhich the handling in activating a function of stopping the operation ofa driving component during the charging is improved as the prohibitionof the operation of the driving component during the charging and theallowance of the operation of the driving component upon the end of thecharging are automatically switched in accordance with whether there ispower supply from the outside.

Solution to Problem

According to an aspect of the invention for solving the problem above, aportable device includes: a secondary battery; a driving componentdriven by charged power of the secondary battery; a charging unitconfigured to charge the secondary battery by an input of outside powersupplied from outside; a transformation unit configured to output thecharged power of the secondary battery at a driving voltage of thedriving component; a detection unit configured to detect the input ofthe outside power to the charging unit; and a switching controllerconfigured to switch a state of the transformation unit from anoperation state to a stopped state only when the input of the outsidepower to the charging unit is detected by the detection unit.

In a known portable device having a function of stopping the chargingand the operation by which a driving component is not driven during thecharging of a secondary battery, a manual on-off mechanism employing apush button or an automatic on-off mechanism employing a mechanicalcontact has been used to stop the operation of the driving componentduring the charging. According to the arrangement above, the function ofstopping the charging and the operation is realized without using amanual on-off mechanism employing a pushbutton or an automatic on-offmechanism employing a mechanical contact. That is to say, theprohibition of the operation of the driving component during thecharging and the allowance of the operation of the driving componentupon the end of the charging are automatically switched in accordancewith whether there is power supply from the outside. This improves thehandling of the portable device when the function of stopping thecharging and the operation is performed, and the downsizing and themanufacture of the portable device become easy because a manual on-offmechanism or an automatic on-off mechanism using a mechanical contact isunnecessary.

The portable device of the present invention may further include atleast one driving component identical with the driving component and atleast one transformation unit identical with the transformation unit,the transformation units outputting driving voltages corresponding tothe respective driving components, the switching controller switching astate of a particular transformation unit which is at least one of thetransformation units from the operation state to the stopped state.

According to this arrangement, because a particular driving componentstopped during the charging and a driving component driven during thecharging are differentiated based on whether there is power supply fromthe outside, it is possible to perform the charging with minimum powerconsumption while maintaining a desired function.

The portable device of the present invention may further include ahearing aid function component as one of the driving components, atransformation unit which outputs the charged power of the secondarybattery to the hearing aid function component being the particulartransformation unit.

According to this arrangement, the charging is performed with minimumpower consumption while the operation of a desired function ismaintained, because the operation of a hearing aid function componentwhich is unlikely to be used is stopped during the charging.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, the portable device may be arranged such that the charging unit,the transformation units, the detection unit, and the switchingcontroller constitute an integrated circuit substrate.

According to this arrangement, the portable device is further downsizedbecause the charging unit, the transformation units, the detection unit,and the switching controller are integrated into one chip as anintegrated circuit substrate.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, the portable device may further include a power-receiving modulewhich is configured to receive power from the outside in a contactlessmanner and to output the received power to the charging unit as theoutside power.

This arrangement improves the handling of the portable device when thesecondary battery is charged, by performing power supply in acontactless manner.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, the portable device may further include a power-receiving modulewhich is configured to receive power from the outside by a resonancephenomenon and to output the received power to the charging unit as theoutside power, the charging unit, the transformation units, thedetection unit, and the switching controller constituting an integratedcircuit substrate, and the integrated circuit substrate being providedin a magnetic field space which is formed by the resonance phenomenon tohave a lower magnetic field strength than other parts.

With this arrangement, contactless power supply is possible, and thefreedom of design in charging the secondary battery of the portabledevice is improved because the power supply by the resonance phenomenonwith which the distance of power supply is increased as compared to theelectromagnetic induction is employed. Furthermore, the portable deviceis further downsized because the charging unit, the transformationunits, the detection unit, and the switching controller are integratedinto one chip as an integrated circuit substrate. Furthermore, becausethe power-receiving module to which power is supplied by the resonancephenomenon is provided in the portable device, a space part having asmall magnetic field is generated at around the power-receiving module,and this space part is effectively used as the arrangement location ofthe power source circuit substrate. With this, even in the portabledevice in which it is difficult to secure an arrangement place of acomponent, the arrangement place of the power source circuit substrateis easily secured and hence the downsizing of the portable device isrealized.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, a charging system includes the above-described portable deviceand a power-supplying module configured to supply power to thepower-receiving module by the resonance phenomenon.

With the arrangement above, because the portable device is arranged tobe close to the charger to the extent that the resonance phenomenonbetween the power-receiving module of the portable device and thepower-supplying module of the charger occurs, the secondary battery ofthe ear-portable device is charged in a contactless manner. During thischarging, the operation of each driving component in the portable deviceis automatically prohibited without requiring an operation of pushbutton or the like. To put it differently, with the arrangement above,the charging of the secondary battery is performed while the operationof the driving component is automatically prohibited, only by mountingthe portable device on the charger, and the charging of the secondarybattery is stopped while the operation of the driving component isautomatically allowed, only by detaching the portable device from thecharger. As such, the charging and the stop of the charging of thesecondary battery in sync with the operation of the driving componentare easily switched by a simple operation such as attaching or mountingthe portable device to the charger.

A charging system of the present invention may be arranged such that theportable device includes, as one of the driving components, acommunication function component configured to sent state dataindicating a state of the portable device, and the charger includes: acommunication unit which enables wireless communication with thecommunication function component when the power-supplying modulesupplies the power to the power-receiving module; and a display unitconfigured to display charging information based on the state datareceived by the communication unit.

With this arrangement, the charging system is able to display, on thedisplay unit of the charger, charging information such as a chargeamount and a temperature of the secondary battery of the portable deviceby wireless communication while reducing the power consumption bystopping a particular driving component during the charging. In thisway, the charging system allows the user to easily recognize the timingof the completion of the charging.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, a power source circuit substrate includes: a charging unitconfigured to charge a secondary battery by an input of outside powerfrom outside; a transformation unit configured to output charged powerof the secondary battery at a driving voltage of the driving component;a detection unit configured to detect the input of the outside power tothe charging unit; and a switching controller configured to switch astate of the transformation unit from an operation state to a stoppedstate only when the input of the outside power to the charging unit isdetected by the detection unit.

In known devices having a function of stopping the charging and theoperation by which a driving component is not driven during the chargingof a secondary battery, a manual on-off mechanism employing a pushbutton or an automatic on-off mechanism employing a mechanical contacthas been used to realize the function of stopping the charging and theoperation. According to the arrangement above, the function of stoppingthe charging and the operation is realized in all types of devices withdifferent shapes simply by mounting the power source circuit substrateon each device. This makes it possible to downsize the device and makesit easy to manufacture the device, because the manual or automaticon-off mechanism is unnecessary.

The power source circuit substrate of the present invention may includeat least one transformation unit identical with the transformation unit,the switching controller switching a state of a particulartransformation unit which is at least one of the transformation unitsfrom the operation state to the stopped state.

According to this arrangement, because a particular driving componentstopped during the charging and a driving component driven during thecharging are differentiated based on whether there is power supply fromthe outside, it is possible to perform the charging with minimum powerconsumption while maintaining a desired function.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, the power source circuit substrate may be formed as an integratedcircuit substrate.

According to this arrangement, because the power source circuitsubstrate is embodied in one chip as an integrated circuit substrate, adevice such as a portable device on which the power source circuitsubstrate is mounted is further downsized.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, a body mount device include the power source circuit substrate.

This arrangement makes it easy to handle the body mount device anddownsizes the body mount device.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, hearing aids include the power source circuit substrate.

This arrangement makes it easy to handle the hearing aids and downsizesthe hearing aids.

Another aspect of the invention for solving the problem above disclosesa power-supplying method for supplying power to a secondary battery of aportable device, the portable device including: the secondary battery; adriving component driven by charged power of the secondary battery; acharging unit configured to charge the secondary battery by an input ofoutside power from outside in a contactless manner; a transformationunit configured to output the charged power of the secondary battery ata driving voltage of the driving component; and a detection unitconfigured to detect the input of the charging unit to the outsidepower, a state of the transformation unit being switched from anoperation state to a stopped state when the input of the outside powerto the charging unit is detected by the detection unit.

According to the method above, when the secondary battery is charged bythe input of outside power in a contactless manner, the state of thetransformation unit is switched from the operation state to the stoppedstate when the detection unit detects the input of the outside power tothe charging unit. This makes it possible to prohibit the operation ofthe driving component when the secondary battery is charged, and hencethe handling of the portable device when the function of stopping thedriving component during the charging is performed is improved.

The power-supplying method of the present invention may be arranged suchthat the portable device further includes at least one driving componentidentical with the driving component and at least one transformationunit identical with the transformation unit, the transformation unitsoutputting driving voltages corresponding to the respective drivingcomponents, a state of a particular transformation unit which is atleast one of the transformation units is switched from the operationstate to the stopped state when the input of the outside power to thecharging unit is detected by the detection unit.

According to this arrangement, because a particular driving componentstopped during the charging and a driving component driven during thecharging are differentiated based on whether there is power supply fromthe outside, it is possible to perform the charging with minimum powerconsumption while maintaining a desired function.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, a power source circuit substrate includes: a charging unitconfigured to charge a secondary battery by an input of outside powerfrom outside; a processing unit driven by charged power of the secondarybattery; and a switching controller configured to switch a state of theprocessing unit from an operation state to a stopped state only when thesecondary battery is charged by the charging unit.

According to the arrangement above, the function of stopping thecharging and the operation is realized without using a manual on-offmechanism employing a push button or an automatic on-off mechanismemploying a mechanical contact. That is to say, the prohibition of theoperation of the driving component during the charging and the allowanceof the operation of the driving component upon the end of the chargingare automatically switched in accordance with whether there is powersupply from the outside. With this, the power source circuit substrateimproves the handling of the portable device when the function ofstopping the charging and the operation is performed, and the downsizingand the manufacture of the portable device become easy because a manualon-off mechanism or an automatic on-off mechanism using a mechanicalcontact is unnecessary.

According to another aspect of the invention for solving the problemabove, a portable device includes: a secondary battery; a drivingcomponent driven by charged power of the secondary battery; a chargingunit configured to charge the secondary battery by an input of outsidepower from outside; and a switching controller configured to switch astate of the driving component from an operation state to a stoppedstate only when the secondary battery is charged by the charging unit.

According to the arrangement above, the function of stopping thecharging and the operation is realized without using a manual on-offmechanism employing a pushbutton or an automatic on-off mechanismemploying a mechanical contact. That is to say, the prohibition of theoperation of the driving component during the charging and the allowanceof the operation of the driving component upon the end of the chargingare automatically switched in accordance with whether there is powersupply from the outside. This improves the handling of the portabledevice when the function of stopping the charging and the operation isperformed, and the downsizing and the manufacture of the portable devicebecome easy because a manual on-off mechanism or an automatic on-offmechanism using a mechanical contact is unnecessary.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present invention provides a portable device, a charging system, anda power source circuit substrate, in which the handling in activating afunction of stopping the operation of a driving component during thecharging is improved as the prohibition of the operation of the drivingcomponent during the charging and the allowance of the operation of thedriving component upon the end of the charging are automaticallyswitched in accordance with whether there is power supply from theoutside.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of the use of ear-hook hearing aids.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a power source circuit substrate.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the power source circuit substrate.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a charging system.

FIG. 5 shows the outline of ear-hook hearing aids.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of a module component.

FIG. 6B is a front elevation of the module component.

FIG. 7 shows the outline of a charger.

FIG. 8 shows the outline of the charger.

FIG. 9 is a detailed block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the charging system.

FIG. 11 is a circuit block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

FIG. 12 shows the outline of the ear-hook hearing aids.

FIG. 13 shows an operation flowchart during the charging.

FIG. 14 is a detailed block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

FIG. 15 is a detailed block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

FIG. 16 is a detailed block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

FIG. 17 is a detailed block diagram of the power source circuitsubstrate.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

(Structure of Power Source Circuit Substrate 1)

To begin with, a power source circuit substrate 1 of Embodiment 1 willbe described. As shown in FIG. 2, the power source circuit substrate 1includes a rectification-stabilization unit 111 configured to output DCpower by rectifying AC power supplied from the outside via a powerreceiving unit 4 from which the AC power is output, a charging unit 112configured to supply, at a charging voltage, the DC power output fromthe rectification-stabilization unit 111 to a secondary battery 3 whichis chargeable and dischargeable, a transformation unit (processing unit)124 configured to perform signal processing, a detection unit 123configured to detect the input of the power to the charging unit 112,and a switching controller 122 configured to switch the transformationunit (processing unit) 124 from an operation state to a stopped stateonly when the detection unit 123 detects the input of the power to thecharging unit 112. The power source circuit substrate 1 is connected toa driving component 5 which is driven by the power charged in thesecondary battery 3.

The power receiving unit 4 employs either wired power supply or wirelesspower supply. Examples of the wireless power supply includeelectromagnetic induction and electromagnetic field resonance.

As the secondary battery 3, any type of batteries which are chargeableand rechargeable can be used. Examples of the secondary battery 3include a lead storage battery, a valve-regulated lead storage battery,a lithium air battery, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymerbattery, a lithium iron phosphate ion battery, a lithium-sulfur battery,a lithium titanate battery, a nickel-cadmium storage battery, anickel-hydrogen rechargeable battery, a nickel-iron battery, anickel-lithium battery, a nickel-zinc battery, a rechargeable alkalibattery, a sodium-sulfur battery, a redox flow battery, a zinc-bromineflow battery, and a silicon battery.

To specifically describe the rectification-stabilization unit 111, asshown in FIG. 3, a rectification-stabilization IC may be used as thisunit 111. The rectification-stabilization IC is an IC in which functionssuch as full bridge synchronous rectification, voltage conditioning andwireless power control, and protection from a voltage, current, ortemperature anomaly are integrated into one chip. When the power outputfrom the power receiving unit 4 is DC power, therectification-stabilization unit 111 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the charging unit 112 is an IC (charging circuit)for a constant current/constant voltage linear charger, and hasfunctions such as a function of notifying that the charging current hasbeen reduced to a predetermined setting value, a function of ending thecharging using a timer, a function of stabilizing the charging currentby means of thermal feedback, and a function of limiting the chiptemperature in a high-power mode or in high ambient temperatures.

The transformation unit (processing unit) 124 is a transformationcircuit which functions as a transformation unit performing signalprocessing of converting the charged power of the secondary battery 3 tothe driving power of the driving component 5 and outputting theconverted power. As the transformation unit (processing unit) 124, asshown in FIG. 3, a linear regulator may be employed for voltagedropping, or a switching regulator may be employed for voltage boostingand voltage dropping. Each of these regulators may be embodied byrapidly turning one and off a current by a semiconductor device. Whilein Embodiment 1 the transformation unit 124 is employed as theprocessing unit, the processing unit may be differently arranged oncondition that the signal processing is performed.

The detection unit 123 is a detection circuit configured to output adetection signal which indicates that DC power is output from therectification-stabilization unit 111 to the charging unit 112. Thedetection unit 123 may be formed by an analog circuit such as atransistor. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 3, the detection unit123 connects a base terminal 123 a of a NPN transistor to an outputpower line 1111 between the rectification-stabilization unit 111 and thecharging unit 112, and connects an emitter terminal 123 b to the ground.Furthermore, as a collector terminal 123 c is connected to the positiveside of the secondary battery 3 via a resistor, a high impedance stateis achieved, and connection to the collector terminal 123 c to an inputterminal 122 a of the switching controller 122 is achieved.

As a result, when the rectification-stabilization unit 111 does notoutput DC power, the base terminal 123 a of the detection unit 123 is inthe low level and the emitter terminal 123 b and the collector terminal123 c are not electrically connected with each other, with the resultthat a high-level detection signal is input to the input terminal 122 aof the switching controller 122. In the meanwhile, when DC power issupplied from the rectification-stabilization unit 111 to the chargingunit 112 via the output power line 1111, the base terminal 123 a is inthe high level, and hence the collector terminal 123 c and the emitterterminal 123 b are electrically connected with each other and the signalat the collector terminal 123 c is changed to a low-level detectionsignal at a ground potential. As a result, when the DC power is outputfrom the rectification-stabilization unit 111 to the charging unit 112,the low-level detection signal is input to the input terminal 122 a ofthe switching controller 122. The detection unit 123 may be formed by adigital circuit.

The switching controller 122 is a switching control circuit which setsthe transformation unit (processing unit) 124 to the stopped state whenthe low-level detection signal is input from the detection unit 123, andsets the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 to the operationstate when the high-level detection signal is input (i.e., when thelow-level detection signal is not input). While in Embodiment 1 thelow-level detection signal is used as a condition of stopping thetransformation unit (processing unit) 124 and the high-level detectionsignal is used as a condition of operating the transformation unit(processing unit) 124, the disclosure is not limited to this arrangementand the low-level detection signal may be used as a condition ofactivating the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 and thehigh-level detection signal may be used as a condition of stopping thetransformation unit (processing unit) 124.

The driving component 5 is driven by the charged power of the secondarybattery 3 when the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 is in theoperation state. Examples of the driving component 5 include all kindsof devices driven by electric power, such as a motor, a speaker, a lightemitting member, a display member, and a micro computer.

As such, the power source circuit substrate 1 is formed as an integratedcircuit substrate by which the prohibition of the operation of thedriving component 5 during the charging of the secondary battery 3 andthe allowance of the operation of the driving component 5 upon the endof the charging are automatically switched in accordance with whetherthere is power supply from the outside to the secondary battery 3, andhence the power source circuit substrate 1 is formed in high density andby a simple circuit configuration. The power source circuit substrate 1may be employed in transportation machines such as cars (including EV),motorbikes, and an airplanes, or may be employed in a later-describedportable device.

(Portable Device 6: Application Example of Power Source CircuitSubstrate 1)

Now, the following will specifically describe a case where the powersource circuit substrate 1 arranged as above is employed in a portabledevice 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the portable device 6 includes a power-receivingmodule 61 (power receiving unit 4) to which power is supplied from theoutside by a resonance phenomenon, a secondary battery 3 which ischargeable and dischargeable, a control substrate 63 in which theabove-described power source circuit substrate 1 and a controller 125are mounted, an output unit 65 (driving component 5) such as a speaker,a a light emitting member, and a display member, and an input unit 66(driving component 5) such as a microphone and a switch. The resonancephenomenon indicates that two or more coils are resonated at a resonancefrequency. The portable device 6 arranged in this manner is charged by acharger 7.

The charger 7 includes a power-supplying module 71 which supplies powerto the power-receiving module 61 of the portable device 6 by theresonance phenomenon. The portable device 6 and the charger 7 constitutea charging system 8 which is configured to supply power (by wirelesspower transmission) from the power-supplying module 71 to thepower-receiving module 61 by the resonance phenomenon.

The control substrate 63 includes the power source circuit substrate 1and the controller 125 and is connected to the output unit 65 and theinput unit 66. The controller 125 has a function of outputting a controlsignal to the output unit 65, a function of receiving an input signalfrom the input unit 66, and a function of processing different kinds ofinformation and data corresponding to the use of the driving component 5of the portable device 6.

The control substrate 63 including the power source circuit substrate 1and the controller 125 is provided in a magnetic field space which isformed by the resonance phenomenon to have a lower magnetic fieldstrength than other parts. To put it differently, the portable device 6generates a space part having a small magnetic field at or around theinner side of the power-receiving module 61 when power supply using theresonance phenomenon is carried out, and this space part is used as anarrangement place of the control substrate 63. The portable device 6 cantherefore be downsized because malfunction and generation of heat equalto or higher than a predetermined temperature are prevented as thegeneration of an Eddy current by a magnetic field at the controlsubstrate 63 provided in the space part is restrained. Details of thespace part having a low magnetic field strength will be given later. Inaddition to the control substrate 63, the secondary battery 3, theoutput unit 65, and the input unit 66 may also be provided in the spacepart (magnetic field space).

The power-receiving module 61 includes a power-receiving resonance coil611 and a power-taking coil 612. Examples of the types of coils used asthe power-receiving resonance coil 611 and the power-taking coil 612include a spiral type, a solenoid type, and a loop type.

The portable device 6 of Embodiment 1 include both a handheld device(which can be carried by a hand) and a wearable device (which can beattached to a human body: a body mount device). Specific examples of theportable device include a portable computer (a laptop PC, a note PC, atablet PC, or the like), a camera, an audio visual device (a mobilemusic player, an IC recorder, a portable DVD player, or the like), acalculator (such as a pocket computer and an electronic calculator), agame console, a computer peripheral (a portable printer, a portablescanner, a portable modem, or the like), a dedicated information device(an electronic dictionary, an electronic notebook, an electronic book, aportable data terminal, or the like), a mobile communication terminal, avoice communication terminal (a mobile phone, a PHS, a satellite phone,a third party radio system, an amateur radio, a specified low powerradio, a personal radio, a citizen radio, or the like), a datacommunication terminal (a mobile phone, a PHS (a feature phone and asmart phone), a pager, or the like), a broadcasting receiver (atelevision receiver and a radio), a portable radio, a portabletelevision receiver, a 1 seg receiver, another type of device (awristwatch and a pocket watch), a hearing aid, a handheld GPS, asecurity buzzer, a flashlight/pen light, and a battery pack. Examples ofthe hearing aids include ear-hook hearing aids, ear-hole hearing aids,and glasses-like hearing aids.

(Charger 7)

The charger 7 which is configured to charge the portable device 6arranged as above includes a charging stand on which the portable device6 can be mounted. The charger 7 further includes a power-supplyingmodule 71 configured to supply power by the resonance phenomenon to theportable device 6 mounted on the charging stand. The power-supplyingmodule 71 includes a power-supplying resonance coil 711 and a powersupply coil 712. Examples of the types of coils used as thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 and the power supply coil 712 includea spiral type, a solenoid type, and a loop type. The charger 7 furtherincludes a power source unit 72 configured to supply AC power to thepower-supplying module 71 and a controller 73 configured to control thepower source unit 72.

As the portable device 6 is mounted on the charging stand of thischarger 7, the power-supplying module 71 of the charger 7 and thepower-receiving module 61 of the portable device 6 oppose each other. Bysimply mounting the portable device 6 on the charging stand of thecharger 7, the charging to the secondary battery 3 starts and the powersupply from the secondary battery 3 of the portable device 6 to thedriving components 5 such as the output unit 65 and the input unit 66 isturned off. In the meanwhile, by simply lifting up the portable device 6from the charging stand of the charger 7, the charging to the secondarybattery 3 is stopped and the power supply from the secondary battery 3of the portable device 6 to the driving components 5 such as the outputunit 65 and the input unit 66 is turned on.

In a manner similar to the portable device 6, the charger 7 may bearranged such that a space part having a small magnetic field isgenerated at or around the inner side of the power-supplying module 71at the time of power supply by the resonance phenomenon, and this spacepart is used as an arrangement place of the power source unit 72 and thecontroller 73. This arrangement makes it possible to downsize thecharger 7 in addition to the portable device 6.

(Space Part Having Small Magnetic Field)

Now, the space part having a small magnetic field, which is mainly usedas a place where the control substrate 63 of the portable device 6 isprovided, will be detailed.

The portable device 6 is arranged such that a space part having a smallmagnetic field is formed at a desired position. The formation of thespace part at the desired position is achieved by suitably setting powersupply conditions such as a positional relation with the charger 7, apower-supplying state, and an internal structure.

For example, the portable device 6 may be arranged such that, when poweris supplied by the resonance phenomenon from the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 of the power-supplying module 71 of the charger 7 tothe power-receiving resonance coil 611 of the power-receiving module 61,at a desired position between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 ofthe power-supplying module 71 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611of the power-receiving module 61, a magnetic field space having amagnetic field strength lower than the magnetic field strengths in partsother than the desired position is formed as a space part. Because inthis case the space part is generated at around the charger 7 side ofthe power-receiving module 61, the leading end portion side of the outerwall member is secured as the arrangement place of the control substrate63 as the power-receiving module 61 is disposed to be slightly closer tothe rear side than the leading end portion on the charger 7 side of theouter wall member.

An example of a method of forming the space part will be detailed. Whenpower is supplied by the resonance phenomenon from the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 of the power-supplying module 71 of the charger 7 tothe power-receiving resonance coil 611 of the power-receiving module 61of the portable device 6, the frequency of the power supplied to thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 of the power-supplying module 71 isarranged so that the direction of a current flowing in thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 of the power-supplying module 71 isopposite to the direction of a current flowing in the power-receivingresonance coil 611 of the power-receiving module 61.

In the formation method above, when power transmission using theresonance phenomenon is performed, the coupling coefficient indicatingthe strength of the coupling between the power-supplying resonance coil711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 is increased as thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 of the power-supplying module 71 andthe power-receiving resonance coil 611 of the power-receiving module 61are disposed to be close to each other. When the coupling coefficient ishigh in this manner, the measurement of a transmission characteristic“S21” (which is a value used as an index of power transmissionefficiency when power is supplied from the power-supplying resonancecoil 711 to the power-receiving resonance coil 611) shows that ameasured waveform has two separated peaks on the low frequency side andthe high frequency side, respectively. As the frequency of the powersupplied to the power-supplying resonance coil 711 is set at a frequencyaround the peak on the high frequency side, the direction of the currentflowing in the power-supplying resonance coil 711 is arranged to beopposite to the direction of the current flowing in the power-receivingresonance coil 611, and hence the magnetic field generated on the innercircumference side of the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and themagnetic field generated on the inner circumference side of thepower-receiving resonance coil 611 cancel each other out, with theresult that an influence of the magnetic field is reduced on the innercircumference sides of the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611. With this, a magnetic field spacehaving a magnetic field strength lower than the magnetic field strengthsin parts other than the inner circumference sides of the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 is formedas a space part.

In another method of forming a space part, for example, when power issupplied from the power-supplying resonance coil 711 to thepower-receiving resonance coil 611 by the resonance phenomenon, thefrequency of the power supplied to the power-supplying resonance coil711 is set so that the direction of the current flowing in thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 is identical with the direction ofthe current flowing in the power-receiving resonance coil 611.

According to the method above, when power transmission using theresonance phenomenon is performed, the coupling coefficient indicatingthe strength of the coupling between the power-supplying resonance coil711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 is increased as thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonancecoil 611 are disposed to be close to each other. When the couplingcoefficient is high in this manner, the measurement of the transmissioncharacteristic shows that a measured waveform has two separated peaks onthe low frequency side and the high frequency side, respectively. As thefrequency of the power supplied to the power-supplying resonance coil711 is set at a frequency around the peak on the low frequency side, thedirection of the current flowing in the power-supplying resonance coil711 is arranged to be identical with the direction of the currentflowing in the power-receiving resonance coil 611, and hence themagnetic field generated on the outer circumference side of thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 and the magnetic field generated onthe outer circumference side of the power-receiving resonance coil 611cancel each other out, with the result that an influence of the magneticfield is reduced on the outer circumference sides of the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611. Withthis, a magnetic field space having a magnetic field strength lower thanthe magnetic field strengths in parts other than the outer circumferencesides of the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and the power-receivingresonance coil 611 is formed as a space part.

In addition to the above, the size of the space part may be set based onthe strength of the magnetic coupling between the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611, bychanging adjustment parameters regarding the power-supplying resonancecoil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611. For example, thesize of the magnetic field space is increased by relatively weakeningthe magnetic coupling between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 andthe power-receiving resonance coil 611. In the meanwhile, the size ofthe magnetic field space is decreased by relatively strengthening themagnetic coupling between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611. As such, a space part optimum forthe size of the portable device 6 is formed.

Alternatively, the size of the magnetic field space may be changed insuch a way that the arrangement relation of the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the arrangement relation of the power-receivingresonance coil 611 are used as the adjustment parameters, and theadjustment parameters are changed to change the strength of the magneticcoupling between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611.

Furthermore, the shape of the space part space may be arranged to be adesired shape in such a way that the shapes of the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 are usedas the adjustment parameters, and the shapes of these coils are changedin a desirable manner to change the strength of the magnetic couplingbetween and around the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611. In this case, as the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 arearranged to have desired shapes, a magnetic field space having arelatively low magnetic field strength is formed with a desired shapecorresponding to the shapes of the coils.

In addition to the above, the size of the space part may be set in sucha way that at least one of the first distance between thepower-supplying resonance coil 711 and the power supply coil 712 and thesecond distance between the power-taking coil 612 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611 is used as an adjustment parameter,and the size is set based on this adjustment parameter. For example, thesize of the magnetic field space is increased in such a way that thefirst distance between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower supply coil 712 and the second distance between the power-takingcoil 612 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 are relativelyshortened so that the magnetic coupling is relatively weakened. In themeanwhile, the size of the magnetic field space is decreased in such away that the first distance between the power-supplying resonance coil711 and the power supply coil 712 and the second distance between thepower-taking coil 612 and the power-receiving resonance coil 611 arerelatively elongated so that the magnetic coupling is relativelystrengthened.

In addition to the above, as a space part, a magnetic field space may beformed at a desired position with a magnetic field strength lower thanthe magnetic field strengths in parts other than the desired position,in such a manner that, a magnetic member is provided to cover at least apart of the power-receiving resonance coil 611 and the power-supplyingresonance coil 711 except the surfaces where these coils oppose eachother, and power transmission is carried out by changing the magneticfield between the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611. The magnetic member may be providedto cover the inner circumferential surface of the power-receivingresonance coil 611. In this case, by blocking the magnetic fieldgenerated on the inner circumference side of the power-receivingresonance coil 611, a magnetic field space having a relatively lowmagnetic field strength is formed as a space part on the innercircumference side of the power-receiving resonance coil 611.

In addition to the above, the magnetic member may be provided to coverthe surfaces of the power-supplying resonance coil 711 and thepower-receiving resonance coil 611, which surfaces are opposite to thesurfaces where the coils oppose each other. In this case, by blockingthe magnetic field generated at around the surface opposite to theopposing surface of the power-receiving resonance coil 611, a magneticfield space having a relatively low magnetic field strength is formed asa space part at around the surface opposite to the opposing surface ofthe power-receiving resonance coil 611.

As such, the portable device 6 is arranged such that, based on acombination of at least one of the above-described methods of formingthe space part, a magnetic field space having a low magnetic fieldstrength can be intentionally formed at will as a space part at andaround the inner side of the power-receiving module 61, and the size andshape of the space part can be arbitrarily set. To put it differently,in the portable device 6, a desired space part is formed by adjustingthe way of disposing the power-receiving module 61.

(Hearing Aids)

Now, the following will detail a case where the portable device 6arranged as above is employed in hearing aids which constitute a bodymount device. While in Embodiment 1 ear-hook hearing aids 9 are taken asan example of the hearing aids, the disclosure is not limited to thesame. Examples of the hearing aids include pocket-type (box-shaped)hearing aids, ear-hook hearing aids (BTE), ear-hole hearing aids (ITE),canal-type hearing aids (ITC), CIC-type hearing aids (CIC), open-earhearing aids, RIC-type hearing aids (RIC), bone-conduction hearing aids,and embedded hearing aids. Examples of the body mount device include adevice mounted on an ear such as the hearing aids and a music player, aface-mounted device such as eyewear (e.g., glasses) with a portablecomputer, a wrist-mounted device such as a wristwatch, and medicalequipment embedded in a human body.

(Hearing Aids: Ear-Hook Hearing Aids 9)

As shown in FIG. 5, the ear-hook hearing aids 9 include a hearing aidmain body 91 attached to the auricle, an ear mold 92 arranged to contactwith the opening of the ear hole or its surroundings, a connectingportion 93 connecting the hearing aid main body 91 with the ear mold 92,a control substrate 63 including a power source circuit substrate 1 anda controller 125, and an output unit 65 and an input unit 66 which areconnected to the control substrate 63. The output unit 65 is constitutedby a member such as a speaker 651 configured to output sound. The inputunit 66 is constituted by members such as an operation button 661 forcontrolling sound volume and switching of the power source and a soundconcentrating microphone configured to convert outside sound into anelectric sound signal.

The hearing aid main body 91 has a hexahedral housing (outer wallmember) which is curved from the top part to the bottom part to extendalong the root of the auricle. That is to say, the housing of thehearing aid main body 91 includes an upper surface part 911 d at the toppart, a bottom surface part 911 c at the bottom part, a head-contactingsurface part 911 a contacting with the head, an auricle-contacting part911 e arranged to oppose the head-contacting surface part 911 a andcontact with the auricle, an inner contacting surface part 911 bsurface-contacting with the root of the auricle along the same, and anouter surface part 911 f arranged to oppose the inner contacting surfacepart 911 b. The hearing aid main body 91 is structured to be dividablein two, i.e., into the head-contacting surface part 911 a and theauricle-contacting part 911 e. As such, the head-contacting surface part911 a functions as a lid whereas the auricle-contacting part 911 efunctions as a container.

To the upper surface part 911 d of the hearing aid main body 91, one endportion of the connecting portion 93 is connected. The connectingportion 93 is a hollow tube in shape. The other end portion of theconnecting portion 93 is connected to the ear mold 92. With thisarrangement, the ear-hook hearing aids 9 outputs sound collected andamplified by the hearing aid main body 91 from the speaker 651 to theear mold 92 via the connecting portion 93, and allows the user of theear-hook hearing aids 9 to receive the sound in a clear manner.

(Hearing Aids: Ear-Hook Hearing Aids 9: Module Component 10)

The ear-hook hearing aids 9 arranged as above include a module component10 which is detachable and provided at a predetermined position. Themodule component 10 is equivalent to the portable device 6. The modulecomponent 10 has a power receiving function of receiving power by theresonance phenomenon, a secondary battery function of being chargeableand dischargeable, a charging and discharging function of charging anddischarging the secondary battery, and a control function of controllingthe components of the ear-hook hearing aids 9.

As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the module component 10 includes acontrol substrate 63 which is a flat plate in shape and a power sourcecircuit substrate 1 and a secondary battery 3 both provided on the uppersurface of the control substrate 63. The power source circuit substrate1 may be formed as a part of the control substrate 63. The power sourcecircuit substrate 1 includes the above-describedrectification-stabilization unit 111 and the like and a controller 125.Around the control substrate 63, a wall member 101 is provided. The wallmember 101 is made of a conductive material such as metal. On the outercircumferential surface of the wall member 101, a power-receivingresonance coil 611 and a power-taking coil 612 are provided. Thepower-receiving resonance coil 611 and the power-taking coil 612 aremade of a copper wire material coated by an insulation film.

As such, because the wall member 101 functioning as a magnetic member isprovided to cover the inner circumferential surfaces of thepower-receiving resonance coil 611 and the power-taking coil 612, thepower source circuit substrate 1 provided on the inner circumferencesides of the power-receiving resonance coil 611 and the power-takingcoil 612 is arranged in a magnetic field space having a relatively lowmagnetic field strength. As a result, the power source circuit substrate1 provided on the control substrate 63 is less influenced by a magneticfield when the power-receiving module 61 receives power.

In addition to the above, the inner circumference side of the wallmember 101 is filled with solidified resin to cover the power sourcecircuit substrate 1 and the control substrate 63. With this, in themodule component 10, the power source circuit substrate 1, the secondarybattery 3, or the like is less likely to be damaged by collision orwater leakage.

From an end face of the control substrate 63, a terminal portion 631protrudes. The terminal portion 631 is connected to the controller 125,and includes a control signal terminal, a GND terminal, a power sourceterminal, or the like. The terminal portion 631 functions as a maleconnector, and a female connector 662 is detachably attached thereto.The female connector 662 is connected with an output unit 65 of thespeaker 651 or the like and an input unit 661 of the operation button661, the sound concentrating microphone, or the like.

With the module component 10 arranged as above, an operation tomanufacture or repair the ear-hook hearing aids 9 can be completed bydetaching and attaching each module component 10, and hence themanufacturing and repairing the ear-hook hearing aids 9 can be easilydone in a short time. Furthermore, as the size, shape, and the terminalportion 631 of each module component 10 is standardized, various typesof portable devices including hearing aids can share the same modulecomponent 10.

While in Embodiment 1 the wall member 101 functioning as a magneticmember covers the circumference of the control substrate 63, the lowersurface of the module component 10 (lower surface of the controlsubstrate 63) may be further covered with a magnetic member or the topsurface of the module component 10 may be further covered with amagnetic member. In such a case, each component on the control substrate63 is arranged in a magnetic field space having a lower magnetic fieldstrength.

(Charger 7 Corresponding to Ear-Hook Hearing Aids 9)

The ear-hook hearing aids 9 is charged by a charger 7 corresponding tothe ear-hook hearing aids 9. The charger 7 includes, for example, asshown in FIG. 7, a supporting stand 13 which detachably supports theear-hook hearing aids 9 in a predetermined power supply posture. To bemore specific, the supporting stand 13 includes a concave portion 13 ain which the ear-hook hearing aids 9 can be accommodated. The concaveportion 13 a is formed to position the ear-hook hearing aids in thehorizontal direction and the height direction (vertical direction). Thepositioning in the height direction is done in such a way that, when theear-hook hearing aids 9 are mounted in the concave portion 13 a, thelower surface of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 contacts with the concaveportion 13 a on account of gravity.

As such, as the ear-hook hearing aids 9 are positioned by the concaveportion 13 a in the horizontal direction and the height direction whenthe ear-hook hearing aids 9 are mounted in the concave portion 13 a ofthe supporting stand 13, the distance and the positional relationbetween the power-receiving module 61 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 andthe power-supplying module 71 of the charger 7 are maintained to beconstant, and hence charging with a voltage corresponding to thecharging characteristic of the secondary battery 3 is possible. It isnoted that the shape of the concave portion 13 a of the supporting stand13 is an example in case of the ear-hook hearing aids 9, and the shapeis suitably changed in accordance with the type and size of the hearingaids.

In addition to the above, the charger 7 includes a cover member 14 whichis able to cover an exposed part (upper surface side) of the ear-hookhearing aids 9 supported at the supporting stand 13. The cover member 14is provided so that the top surface of the supporting stand 13 isopenable. The cover member 14 is provided with a power-supplying module71 which supplies power by the resonance phenomenon to thepower-receiving module 61 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 supported bythe supporting stand 13. The power-supplying module 71 is arranged tooppose the power-receiving module 61 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 whenthe cover member 14 covers the exposed part of the ear-hook hearing aids9. With this arrangement, because the charging is performed only whenthe cover member 14 covers the ear-hook hearing aids 9, whether thecharging is being executed or stopped can be identified by checkingwhether the ear-hook hearing aids 9 are covered with the cover member14. To put it differently, in the charger 7, whether the charging isperformed or not is identified in accordance with the opening/closingstate of the cover member 14.

In addition to the above, the power-supplying module 71 may be providedin the supporting stand 13. Furthermore, being similar to the ear-hookhearing aids 9, the charger 7 may be arranged such that, a space parthaving a low magnetic field is generated at or around the inner side ofthe power-supplying module 71 during the power supply by the resonancephenomenon, and the controller 73 or the like is arranged in this spacepart. This makes it possible to downsize the charger 7 in addition tothe ear-hook hearing aids 9.

When the ear-hook hearing aids 9 are mounted in the concave portion 13 aof the supporting stand 13 of the charger 7, the power-supplying module71 of the charger 7 opposes the power-receiving module 61 of theear-hook hearing aids 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging to thesecondary battery 3 starts simply by mounting the ear-hook hearing aids9 on the supporting stand 13 of the charger 7. Furthermore, the powersupply from the secondary battery 3 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 tothe output unit 65 such as the speaker 651 and the input unit 661(driving component 5) such as the operation button 661 and the soundconcentrating microphone can be turned off in such a way that thedetection unit 123 detects DC power output from therectification-stabilization unit 111 to the charging unit 112 during thecharging and outputs a detection signal (low-level detection signal)indicating the detection to the switching controller 122, and theswitching controller 122 having received the detection signal (low-leveldetection signal) changes the state of the transformation unit(processing unit) 124 to the stopped state. To put it differently, thestart of the charging and the turning off of the hearing aid functionare performed simply by attaching the ear-hook hearing aids 9 to thecharger 7.

In the meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, as the ear-hook hearing aids 9 arelifted up from the supporting stand 13 of the charger 7, the charging tothe secondary battery 3 is stopped. Furthermore, the power supply fromthe secondary battery 3 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 to the outputunit 65 such as the speaker 651 and the input unit 661 (drivingcomponent 5) such as the operation button 661 and the soundconcentrating microphone can be turned on in such a way that thedetection unit 123 detects that no DC power is output from therectification-stabilization unit 111 to the charging unit 112 upon theend of the charging and sends, to the switching controller 122, adetection signal (high-level detection signal) indicating that no DCpower is output, and the switching controller 122 having received thedetection signal (high-level detection signal) changes the state of thetransformation unit (processing unit) 124 to the operation state. To putit differently, the stop of the charging and the turning on of thehearing aid function are performed simply by detaching the ear-hookhearing aids 9 from the charger 7.

With the arrangement above, a function of stopping the charging and theoperation is realized without requiring a manual on-off mechanism or anautomatic on-off mechanism using a mechanical contact. That is to say,based on whether there is power supply from the outside, the prohibitionof the operation of the driving component 5 such as the output unit 65such as the speaker 651 and the input unit 661 such as the operationbutton 661 and the sound concentrating microphone during the chargingand the allowance of the operation of the driving component 5 such asthe output unit 65 such as the speaker 651 and the input unit 661 suchas the operation button 661 and the sound concentrating microphone uponthe end of the charging are switched. This improves the handling of theear-hook hearing aids 9 (portable device 6) when the function ofstopping the charging and the operation is performed, and the downsizingand the manufacture of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 become easy because amanual on-off mechanism or an automatic on-off mechanism using amechanical contact is unnecessary.

Furthermore, with the arrangement above, because the charging unit 112,the transformation unit (processing unit) 124, the detection unit 123,and the switching controller 122 are integrated into one chip as anintegrated circuit substrate, the ear-hook hearing aids 9 are furtherdownsized.

Furthermore, with the arrangement above, because contactless powersupply is employed, the handling at the time of charging the secondarybattery 3 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 is improved.

Furthermore, with the arrangement above, contactless power supply ispossible, and the freedom of design in charging the secondary battery 3of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 is improved because the power supply bythe resonance phenomenon with which the distance of power supply isincreased as compared to the electromagnetic induction is employed.Furthermore, because the power-receiving module 61 to which power issupplied by the resonance phenomenon is provided in the ear-hook hearingaids 9, a space part having a small magnetic field is generated ataround the power-receiving module 61, and this space part is effectivelyused as the arrangement location of the power source circuit substrate1. With this, even in the ear-hook hearing aids 9 (portable device 6) inwhich it is difficult to secure an arrangement place of a component, thearrangement place of the power source circuit substrate 1 is easilysecured and hence the downsizing of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 isrealized.

In addition to the above, with the arrangement above, because theear-hook hearing aids 9 are arranged to be close to the charger 7 to theextent that the resonance phenomenon between the power-receiving module61 of the ear-hook hearing aids 9 and the power-supplying module 71 ofthe charger 7 occurs, the secondary battery 3 of the ear-hook hearingaids 9 is charged in a contactless manner. During this charging, theoperation of each driving component 5 in the ear-hook hearing aids 9 isautomatically prohibited without requiring an operation of push buttonor the like. To put it differently, with the arrangement above, thecharging of the secondary battery 3 is performed while the operation ofthe driving component 5 is automatically prohibited, only by mountingthe ear-hook hearing aids 9 on the charger 7, and the charging of thesecondary battery 3 is stopped while the operation of the drivingcomponent 5 is automatically allowed, only by detaching the ear-hookhearing aids 9 from the charger 7. As such, the charging and the stop ofthe charging of the secondary battery 3 in sync with the operation ofthe driving component 5 are easily switched by a simple operation suchas attaching or mounting the ear-hook hearing aids 9 to the charger 7.

In addition to the above, according to the method (power-supplyingmethod) of charging the secondary battery 3 of the ear-hook hearing aids9, the state of the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 isswitched from the operation state to the stopped state when the input ofpower to the charging unit 112 is detected by the detection unit 123. Toput it differently, when the secondary battery 3 is charged by the inputof outside power in a contactless manner, the state of thetransformation unit (processing unit) 124 is switched from the operationstate to the stopped state when the detection unit 123 detects the inputof the outside power to the charging unit 112. This makes it possible toprohibit the operation of the driving component 5 when the secondarybattery 3 is charged, and hence the handling of the ear-hook hearingaids 9 when the function of stopping the driving component 5 during thecharging is performed is improved.

Embodiment 2

Embodiment 1 has described the arrangement having the function ofcharging the secondary battery 3 while stopping the power supply to thedriving component 5 upon the attachment of the portable device 6 to thecharger 7 and the function of stopping the charging of the secondarybattery 3 while supplying power to the driving component 5 upon thedetachment of the portable device 6 from the charger 7. For example, thecharging system 8 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged to start the charging andto turn off of the hearing aid function upon the attachment of theear-hook hearing aids 9 to the charger 7, and to stop the charging andto turn on the hearing aid function upon the removal of the ear-hookhearing aids 9 from the charger 7.

The portable device 6, the charging system 8, and the power sourcecircuit substrate 1, however, are not limited to the arrangement havingthe functions above. As shown in FIG. 8, the portable device 6 may bearranged to have a function of charging the secondary battery 3 whilestopping the power supply to a particular one of driving components 5upon the attachment of the portable device 6 to the charger 7 and afunction of stopping the charging of the secondary battery 3 whilecontinuing power supply to a particular driving component 5 upon theremoval of the portable device 6 from the charger 7. To be morespecific, while the communication function is maintained to be alwaysturned on, the start of the charging and the turning off of the hearingaid function are performed upon the attachment of the ear-hook hearingaids 9 to the charger 7, whereas the stop of the charging and theturning on of the hearing aid function are performed upon the removal ofthe ear-hook hearing aids 9 from the charger 7. The following willdetail the arrangement of Embodiment 2.

(Structure of Power Source Circuit Substrate 1)

As shown in FIG. 9, a power source circuit substrate 1 of Embodiment 2includes a rectification-stabilization unit 111, a charging unit 112, adetection unit 123, a switching controller 122, and transformation units124, and the switching controller 122 is arranged to switch the state ofat least one particular transformation unit 124 among the transformationunits 124 from the operation state to the stopped state. With this,because a particular driving component 5 stopped during the charging anda driving component 5 driven during the charging are differentiatedbased on whether there is power supply from the outside, it is possibleto perform the charging with minimum power consumption while maintaininga desired function. The arrangements other than the above are identicalwith those of Embodiment 1.

(Portable Device 6: Application Example of Power Source CircuitSubstrate 1)

Now, the following will describe a case where the power source circuitsubstrate 1 arranged as above is employed in a portable device 6. Whilethe description below deals with a case where driving components 5driven at different voltages, the driving components may operate at thesame voltage.

The portable device 6 includes a secondary battery 3, driving components5 driven by power at different voltages supplied from the secondarybattery 3, transformation units 124 (first voltage dropping units 124 a,second voltage dropping units 124 b, and voltage boosting units 124 c)each of which output the charged power of the secondary battery 3 at avoltage suitable for the operation of each driving component 5, andswitching controllers 1221, 1222, and 1223 configured to switch thestate of a particular transformation unit 124 (first voltage droppingunit 124 a and second voltage dropping unit 124 b) which is at least oneof the transformation units 124 from the operation state to the stoppedstate.

The switching controllers 1221, 1222, and 1223 are connected to thefirst voltage dropping unit 124 a, the second voltage dropping unit 124b, and the voltage boosting unit 124 c, respectively. As shown in FIG.10, the switching controller 1221 and the first voltage dropping unit124 a, the switching controller 1222 and the second voltage droppingunit 124 b, and the switching controller 1223 and the voltage boostingunit 124 c are integrated as a one-chip IC which is an integratedcircuit.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, input terminals 1221 a and 1222 a ofthe switching controllers 1221 and 1222 are connected to the detectionunit 123. In the meanwhile, an input terminal 1223 a of the switchingcontroller 1223 is connected only to the secondary battery 3 and is in ahigh state. As such, while the first voltage dropping unit 124 a and thesecond voltage dropping unit 124 b are switchable between on and offbased on a detection signal of the detection unit 123, the voltageboosting unit 124 c is always in the on state.

The first voltage dropping unit 124 a and the second voltage droppingunit 124 b are voltage dropping circuits that decrease a voltage to belower than the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 3, and each ofwhich may be a linear regulator or a switching regulator. In themeanwhile, the voltage boosting unit 124 c is a voltage boosting circuitthat increases a voltage to be higher than the terminal voltage of thesecondary battery 3, and may be a switching regulator.

The first voltage dropping unit 124 a is connected to first voltagedriving components 51 a to 51 c and supplies 1.2V power to thesecomponents 51 a to 51 c. The second voltage dropping unit 124 b isconnected to a second voltage driving component 52 a and supplies 1.8Vpower to the component 52 a. The voltage boosting unit 124 c isconnected to a third voltage driving component 53 and supplies 5V powerto the third voltage driving component 53. These first to third voltagedriving components 51 a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53 are components thatoperate at voltages different from the nominal voltage of the secondarybattery 3.

Examples of the first voltage driving component 51 with the 1.2Voperating voltage include a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and amicrophone. Examples of the second voltage driving component 52 with the1.8V operating voltage include an audio CODEC component. Examples of thethird voltage driving component 53 with the 5V operating voltageincludes a wireless communication interface component. In this case,during the charging of the portable device 6, the DSP, the microphone,and the audio CODEC component are stopped whereas the wirelesscommunication interface component is in the operation state. In thisregard, in order to prevent the wireless communication interfacecomponent from operating when the charging is stopped, a NOT circuitthat inverts the high level and the low level of an input signal may beprovided on the stage preceding the input terminal 1223 a of theswitching controller 1223.

With this arrangement, even if first to third voltage driving components51 a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53 driven at different voltages are included inthe portable device 6, the portable device 6 exerts performances similarto those of a device constituted by driving components 5 driven at thesame operating voltage, because the first voltage dropping unit 124 a,the second voltage dropping unit 124 b, and the voltage boosting unit124 c transform the voltage of the secondary battery 3 into voltagessuitable for the operations of the first to third voltage drivingcomponents 51 a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53 and then supplies the power of thesecondary battery 3 to the first to third voltage driving components 51a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53. This makes it possible to choose the first tothird voltage driving components 51 a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53 fromcomponents with many different operating voltages, and hence the costreduction of the portable device 6 is achieved by selecting inexpensivecomponents as the first to third voltage driving components 51 a to 51c, 52 a, and 53.

In addition to the above, the charging of the secondary battery 3 isefficiently done in such a way that the operations of the first tosecond voltage driving components 51 a to 51 c and 52 a connected to thefirst voltage dropping unit 124 a and the second voltage dropping unit124 b are stopped during the charging to reduce the power consumption.

The first voltage dropping unit 124 a and the second voltage droppingunit 124 b are groped transformation units which are provided in adispersed manner for each particular group of components. Eachparticular group indicates a group of components driven at the sameoperating voltage, a group of components provided in each arrangementlocation, or a group of components in each layer or surface when thecomponents are mounted on three-layer substrates or on both surfaces ofa substrate.

As such, the portable device 6 is arranged such that gropedtransformation units are provided in the vicinity of each component andpower is supplied at suitable voltages as compared to a case where thefirst voltage dropping unit 124 a and the second voltage dropping unit124 b are provided at a single part in a concentrated manner, with theresult that influences of voltage decrease and noise due to the wiringof the groped transformation units and of the components are restrained.Furthermore, because the groped transformation units are provided in adispersed manner for each particular group of components, the circuitconfiguration of the transformation unit 124 is optimized inconsideration of the arrangement locations and the characters of theparticular group, while restraining the influences of noise and voltagedecrease.

In the meanwhile, the voltage boosting unit 124 c is an individualtransformation unit which supplies 5V power to only the single thirdvoltage driving component 53. The portable device 6 may include bothgroped transformation units and an individual transformation unit or mayinclude only groped transformation units or an individual transformationunit.

The portable device 6 preferably includes a secondary battery 3 having anominal voltage which is higher than the nominal voltage of an airbattery. Such a secondary battery 3 is particularly preferable when theportable device 6 is hearing aids such as the ear-hook hearing aids 9.This is because, even if the secondary battery 3 outputs charged powerat a nominal voltage higher than the nominal voltage of the air batteryor the battery voltage is changed over the discharging time, thetransformation unit 124 outputs the charged power of the secondarybattery 3 at voltages suitable for the operations of the respectivedriving components 5, and hence each driving component 5 is stablyoperated with the charged power of the secondary battery 3 in the samemanner as in the case where each driving component 5 is driven by theair battery.

With this, performances similar to those of a portable device employinga known air battery are achieved, and the replacement of the secondarybattery 3 is less frequently required because, even if the secondarybattery 3 is depleted in a short time on account of the increase in thepower consumption of the portable device 6, the portable device 6 can berepeatedly used by recharging. Furthermore, because a structure or thelike for taking in air as in the case of the air battery is unnecessary,the structure of the portable device 6 is simplified and the waterproofproperty of the portable device 6 is improved.

The nominal voltage is a value indicating a standard voltage betweenterminals when a battery is used in a normal state. A terminal voltagehigher than the nominal voltage is obtained when the battery is almostfully charged, but the terminal voltage is lower than the nominalvoltage when discharging has been advanced or a large current issupplied to a load. The nominal voltage of the air battery falls withinthe range of 1.2V to 1.4V. The nominal voltage of a nickel-hydrogensecondary battery also falls within the range of 1.2V to 1.4V in thesame manner as in the air battery. Examples of the secondary battery 3having a nominal voltage higher than the nominal voltage of the airbattery include lead storage battery, a valve-regulated lead storagebattery, a lithium air battery, a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymerbattery, a manganese dioxide-lithium secondary battery, and a titaniumcarbon lithium secondary battery.

The nominal voltages of the lithium ion battery and the lithium polymerbattery fall within the range of 3.6V to 3.7V. The nominal voltage ofthe manganese dioxide-lithium secondary battery is 3.0V. The nominalvoltage of the titanium carbon lithium secondary battery is 1.5V. Thevoltage range between a discharging stop voltage and a charging stopvoltage in the lithium ion battery is 2.7V to 4.2V. The discharging stopvoltage indicates the minimum discharging voltage with which thedischarging is safely done, whereas the charging stop voltage indicatesthe maximum charging voltage with which the charging is safely done.

The secondary battery 3 is preferably a lithium ion battery. In thiscase, the nominal voltage of the lithium ion battery falls within therange of 3.6V to 3.7V and is higher than the nominal voltages of the airbattery and the nickel hydrogen secondary battery, which are in therange of 1.2V to 1.4V. Furthermore, the lithium ion battery has such adischarge characteristic that the battery voltage decreases from around4.2V to around 2.7V in accordance with the discharging. Because theenergy density of this battery is higher than those of the air batteryand the nickel hydrogen secondary battery, the portable device 6 can bedriven for a long time as compared to a case where the air battery orthe nickel hydrogen secondary battery is employed.

In addition to the above, the portable device 6 includes a drivingcomponent 5 as a component 54 which is dedicated to the secondarybattery 3 and operates at the nominal voltage of the secondary battery3. For example, when the secondary battery 3 is a lithium ion battery,the dedicated component 54 is a micro computer (controller 125) whichoperates at around 3.6V to 3.7V which fall within the range of thenominal voltage of the lithium ion battery. The micro computer which isthe dedicated component 54 obtains temperature data of the secondarybattery 3 or the like and controls the operations of the first to thirdvoltage driving components 51 a to 51 c, 52 a, and 53. For example, themicro computer has functions such as a function of notifying the charger7 that the charging is in progress by sending a charging response signalto the charger 7 at constant time intervals during the charging and afunction of sending state data such as the temperature data of thesecondary battery 3 to the charger 7.

The dedicated component 54 above is directly connected to the secondarybattery 3. With this, because the dedicated component 54 is directlyoperated using the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 3, it isunnecessary to provide a transformation unit 124 for the dedicatedcomponent 54. As a result, power supply to the dedicated component 54 bythe transformation unit 124 is unnecessary, and cost reduction isachieved by lowering the power supply capability of the transformationunit 124 as compared to a case where power is supplied to all drivingcomponents 5 via the transformation unit 124. The dedicated component 54may operate at a voltage range between the charging stop voltage and thedischarging stop voltage of the lithium ion battery. The arrangementsother than this are identical with those in Embodiment 1.

(Charger 7 and Charging System 8)

The charger 7 arranged to charge the portable device 6 above includes acharging stand, a power-supplying module 71, a power source unit 72, anda controller 73. The charger 7 and the portable device 6 constitute acharging system 8.

The charger 7 includes a display unit 74, a wireless communicationinterface unit 75, and an ultraviolet light emission unit 76. Thedisplay unit 74 is constituted by a liquid crystal display device, anLED array, or the like, and is provided on the cover member 14 as shownin FIG. 12. The display unit 74 displays information such as charginginformation regarding the charging such as a charge amount, atemperature, and a charging time of the secondary battery 3 in theportable device 6, operation information of the charger 7 such ascharging in progress and sterilization in progress, and informationregarding whether the portable device 6 is attached. The wirelesscommunication interface unit 75 performs wireless communication with thewireless communication interface unit which is a driving component 53 ofthe portable device 6. The communication distance is preferablyrestricted to be equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance toestablish wireless communication only with the wireless communicationinterface unit of the portable device 6 mounted on the charger 7, inorder to avoid crosstalk.

As such, the portable device 6 of the charging system 8 includes, as thethird driving component 53, a wireless communication interface unit(communication function member) which is configured to send state dataindicating the state of the portable device 6. Furthermore, the charger7 of the charging system 8 includes the wireless communication interfaceunit 75 (communication unit) which enables wireless communication withthe wireless communication interface unit of the portable device 6 whilethe power-supplying module 71 supplies power to the power-receivingmodule 61, and the display unit 74 which is configured to displaycharging information based on the state data received by the wirelesscommunication interface unit 75. With this, the charging system 8 isable to display, on the display unit 74, charging information such as acharge amount and a temperature of the secondary battery 3 of theportable device 6 by wireless communication while reducing the powerconsumption by stopping particular driving components (first and secondvoltage driving components 51 a to 51 c and 52 a) during the charging.In this way, the charging system allows the user to easily recognize thetiming of the completion of the charging.

The ultraviolet light emission unit 76 includes a light sourceconfigured to emit ultraviolet light for sterilizing the portable device6 and a reflection mechanism such as a mirror which is provided on theinner surface of the cover member 14 or the supporting stand 13 toreflect ultraviolet light toward the portable device 6. Whether theultraviolet light emission unit 76 emits the ultraviolet light iscontrolled by the controller 73. That is to say, the ultraviolet lightemission unit 76 is controlled to emit the ultraviolet light only duringthe charging. The emission of the ultraviolet light may be stopped aftera predetermined time elapses from the start of the charging. Thisarrangement restrains the deterioration of the portable device 6 due tothe ultraviolet light.

The ultraviolet light emission unit 76 is preferably arranged such thatterminals of a power line are provided in the cover member 14 and thesupporting stand 13 to prevent the ultraviolet light emission unit 76from emitting the ultraviolet light when the cover member 14 is open inthe supporting stand 13, and when the cover member 14 is closed in thesupporting stand 13, power is supplied to the light source of theultraviolet light emission unit 76 as the terminals contact with eachother. The charger 7 may include a cleaning mechanism which is able toclean the portable device 6 by using alcohol or water. The arrangementsother than the above are identical with those of Embodiment 1.

(Operation of Charging System 8)

The charging system 8 arranged as above realizes a method of supplyingpower to the secondary battery 3, with which the state of at least oneparticular transformation unit 124 (the first voltage dropping unit 124a and the second voltage dropping unit 124 b) among the transformationunits 124 (the first voltage dropping unit 124 a, the second voltagedropping unit 124 b, and the voltage boosting unit 124 c) is switchedfrom the operation state to the stopped state when the detection unit123 detects the input of outside power to the charging unit 112 from thecharger 7. An operation of the charging system 8 realizing thispower-supplying method will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Thefollowing description assumes that the charger 7 is connected to adomestic power source.

To begin with, whether the controller 73 of the charger 7 starts thecharging is determined (S1). When the charging is not started (S1: NO),the standby state is continued as the step S1 is repeated. When theportable device 6 is mounted on the supporting stand 13 of the charger 7and the cover member 14 is closed, the controller 73 of the charger 7determines that the preparation for starting the charging has been done,based on a voltage change of the power source unit 72 and a detectionsignal from an unillustrated sensor. Then the display unit 74 notifiesthat the charging is started (S1: YES).

Subsequently, as the wireless power supply from the power-supplyingmodule 71 to the power-receiving module 61 is performed and the voltagebetween the rectification-stabilization unit 111 and the charging unit112 is increased, the detection unit 123 having detected the increasesends a low-level detection signal to the switching controllers 1221 and1222, and the operations of the first and second voltage drivingcomponents 51 a to 51 c and 52 a are prohibited by stopping the powersupply from the first voltage dropping unit 124 a and the second voltagedropping unit 124 b. In the meanwhile, because no low-level detectionsignal is input to the switching controller 1223, the voltage boostingunit 124 c connected to the switching controller 1223 and the thirdvoltage driving component 53 connected to the voltage boosting unit 124c maintain the operation state. As a result, the communication betweenthe portable device 6 and the charger 7 is established as the wirelesscommunication interface unit which is the third voltage drivingcomponent 53 and the micro computer which is the dedicated component 54operate even during the charging of the secondary battery 3 (S2).Furthermore, as sets of data of the portable device 6 are obtained atpredetermined intervals and are sent to the charger 7 each time they areobtained, the display unit 74 displays the latest charging information(S3).

Subsequently, as power is supplied to the light source of theultraviolet light emission unit 76, the light source emits ultravioletlight. The ultraviolet light is applied to the portable device 6 in thecharger 7 to sterilize the portable device 6 (S4). With this, theportable device 6 is always kept clean as the breeding of germs isprevented and offensive smell caused by germs does not occur.

Subsequently, whether to stop the charging is determined (S5). When apredetermined time elapses from the start of the charging or the chargeamount of the secondary battery 3 reaches a predetermined amount, thecharging is continued until a predetermined power receiving stopcondition, e.g., the temperature of the secondary battery 3 becomesequal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, is established (S5:NO). The charging is stopped when the power receiving stop condition isestablished (S5: YES), and then the charging voltage is obtained and theimage display is stopped, and the sterilization is stopped as theemission of the ultraviolet light is stopped (S6). Then the process isexecuted again from S1.

Embodiment 3

Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 deal with the power source circuitsubstrate 1 and the portable device 6 in which, as shown in, forexample, FIG. 2, the state of the transformation unit (processing unit)124 is switched from the operation state to the stopped state only whenthe input of the power to the charging unit 112 is carried out. Thedisclosure, however, is not limited to this arrangement. That is to say,the power source circuit substrate 1 and the portable device 6 may bearranged such that the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 and thedriving component 5 are switched from the operation state to the stoppedstate only when the charging of the secondary battery 3 by the chargingunit 112 is carried out. It is noted that the transformation unit 124 isan example of the processing unit, and the processing unit encompassesall types of circuits executing signal processing.

To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 14, the power source circuitsubstrate 1 includes a charging unit 112 configured to charge thesecondary battery 3 by inputting outside power from the outside, atransformation unit (processing unit) 124 driven by the charged power ofthe secondary battery 3, and a switching controller 303 configured toswitch the state of the transformation unit (processing unit) 124 fromthe operation state to the stopped state only when the charging of thesecondary battery 3 by the charging unit 112 is performed. Furthermore,the portable device 6 includes the secondary battery 3, a drivingcomponent 5 which is driven by the charged power of the secondarybattery 3, a charging unit 112 configured to charge the secondarybattery 3 by inputting outside power from the outside, and a switchingcontroller 303 configured to switch the state of the driving component 5from the operation state to the stopped state only when the charging ofthe secondary battery 3 by the charging unit 112 is performed. InEmbodiment 3, the same reference numerals are assigned to componentshaving substantially identical arrangements as those of Embodiment 1 andthe descriptions thereof are omitted, and points of difference fromEmbodiment 1 are mainly described.

The portable device 6 includes an oscillator 302 configured to output aclock signal, a switching unit 301 configured to allow the clock signalfrom the oscillator 302 to pass through or block the clock signal, and adriving component 5 connected to the switching unit 301. The drivingcomponent 5 includes a digital circuit which operates based on the clocksignal from the oscillator 302. The switching unit 301 is a relay whichis mechanically or electronically turned on and off.

The switching unit 301 is connected to an output unit of the switchingcontroller 122. The switching controller 122 is connected to thedetection unit 123, and causes the switching unit 301 to be open toblock the clock signal and changes the driving component 5 to thestopped state when a low-level (or high-level) detection signal is inputfrom the detection unit 123, or causes the switching unit 301 to beclosed to allow the clock signal to pass through and changes the drivingcomponent 5 to the operation state when a high-level (or low-level)detection signal is input. The arrangements other than the above areidentical with those of Embodiment 1.

As shown in FIG. 15, the detection unit 123 may be connected to theoutput stage of the charging unit 112. The detection unit 123 detectswhether the secondary battery 3 is being charged based on an outputvoltage of the charging unit 112, and outputs the low-level (orhigh-level) detection signal to the switching controller 122 when thecharging is in progress or outputs the high-level (or low-level)detection signal to the switching controller 122 upon the end of thecharging.

In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 16, the charging unit 303 mayhave a detection function of outputting a detection signal in accordancewith a charging execution state and a charging stopped state, and thedetection signal may be output from the charging unit 303 to theswitching controller 122. The detection unit 123 is unnecessary in thiscase, and the power source circuit substrate 1 and the portable device 6are downsized because it is possible to omit the detection unit 123 fromthe power source circuit substrate 1.

In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 17, the driving component 5may include an enable terminal (EN) 5 a, and an output unit of theswitching controller 122 may be connected to the enable terminal 5 awhen the operation and the stop of the operation are switchable based onan input voltage of the enable terminal 5 a. The switching unit 301 isunnecessary in this case, and the power source circuit substrate 1 andthe portable device 6 are downsized because it is possible to omit theswitching unit 301 from the power source circuit substrate 1.

The switching controller 122 may be arranged such that the output unitis connected also to the transformation unit (processing unit) 124, andthe target of output of a switching signal is switchable between theswitching unit 301, the enable terminal 5 a of the driving component 5,and the transformation unit (processing unit) 124. In this case, acomplete stop mode focusing on the power consumption and a standby modefocusing on the boot time are realized by suitably switching the targetof output of the switching controller 122.

To be more specific, in the complete stop mode, the power consumption ofthe driving component 5 is reduced by completely stopping the powersupply to the driving component 5 as the switching controller 122 stopsthe transformation unit (processing unit) 124. In the meanwhile, in thestandby mode, as the switching controller 122 changes the switching unit301 to the open state while maintaining the transformation unit(processing unit) 124 to be in the operation state, the operation of thedriving component 5 is stopped but the power supply to the drivingcomponent 5 is maintained, with the result that prompt activation isperformed when the clock signal is input. With this, when a plurality ofdriving components 5 are provided, optimum balance between the boot timeand the power consumption is achieved in the power source circuitsubstrate 1 and the portable device 6 by suitably using the completestop mode or the standby mode in accordance with the type and use ofeach driving component 5.

While in Embodiment 3 the oscillator 302 and the switching unit 301 areprovided outside the power source circuit substrate 1, at least one ofthe oscillator 302 and the switching unit 301 may be mounted on thepower source circuit substrate 1. Furthermore, while in Embodiment 3 thetransformation unit 124 is taken as an example of the processing unit,another circuit configuration may be employed as the processing unit andthe operation of this processing unit may be suitably switched. Whenthis processing unit is arranged to operate based on a clock signal, theprocessing unit may be switched by the switching unit 301 in the powersource circuit substrate 1.

The detailed description of the present invention provided hereinabovemainly focused on characteristics thereof for the purpose of easierunderstanding; however, the scope of the present invention shall beconstrued as broadly as possible, encompassing various forms of otherpossible embodiments, and therefore the present invention shall not belimited to Embodiments 1 and 2 in the above description. Further, theterms and phraseology used in the present specification are adoptedsolely to provide specific illustration of the present invention, and inno case should the scope of the present invention be limited by suchterms and phraseology. Further, it will be obvious to those skilled inthe art that the other structures, systems, methods and the like arepossible, within the spirit of the invention described in the presentspecification. The description of claims therefore shall encompassstructures equivalent to the present invention, unless otherwise suchstructures are regarded as to depart from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. To fully understand the object and effects of thepresent invention, it is strongly encouraged to sufficiently refer todisclosures of documents already made available.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 POWER SOURCE CIRCUIT SUBSTRATE-   3 SECONDARY BATTERY-   4 POWER RECEIVING UNIT-   5 DRIVING COMPONENT-   6 PORTABLE DEVICE-   7 CHARGER-   8 CHARGING SYSTEM-   9 EAR-HOOK HEARING AIDS-   10 MODULE COMPONENT-   61 POWER-RECEIVING MODULE-   71 POWER-SUPPLYING MODULE-   73 CONTROLLER-   74 DISPLAY UNIT-   75 WIRELESS COMMUNICATION INTERFACE UNIT-   76 ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EMISSION UNIT-   111 RECTIFICATION-STABILIZATION UNIT-   112 CHARGING UNIT-   122 SWITCHING CONTROLLER-   123 DETECTION UNIT-   124 TRANSFORMATION UNIT (PROCESSING UNIT)

1. A portable device comprising: a secondary battery; a plurality ofdriving components driven by charged power of the secondary battery; acharging unit configured to charge the secondary battery by an input ofoutside power supplied from outside of the portable device; a pluralityof transformation units each configured to output the charged power ofthe secondary battery at a driving voltage of a corresponding one of theplurality of driving components; a detection unit configured to detectthe input of the outside power to the charging unit; and a switchingcontroller configured to switch a state of one of the plurality oftransformation units from an operation state to a stopped stateresponsive to detecting the input of the outside power to the chargingunit causing only the corresponding one of the plurality of drivingcomponents to stop operation during charging of the secondary battery.2. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising ahearing aid function component as one of the plurality of drivingcomponents, a transformation unit which outputs the charged power of thesecondary battery to the hearing aid function component being theparticular transformation unit.
 3. The portable device according toclaim 1, wherein the charging unit, the plurality of transformationunits, the detection unit, and the switching controller constitute anintegrated circuit substrate.
 4. The portable device according to claim1, further comprising a power-receiving module configured to receivepower from outside the portable device in a contactless manner and tooutput the received power to the charging unit as the outside power. 5.The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising apower-receiving module configured to receive power from outside theportable device by a resonance phenomenon and to output the receivedpower to the charging unit as the outside power, the charging unit, theplurality of transformation units, the detection unit, and the switchingcontroller constituting an integrated circuit substrate, and theintegrated circuit substrate being provided in a magnetic field space,which is formed by a resonance phenomenon, to have a lower magneticfield strength than parts of the portable device around the formedmagnetic field space.
 6. A charging system comprising: the portabledevice according to claim 4; and a charger including a power-supplyingmodule which is configured to supply power to the power-receivingmodule.
 7. The charging system according to claim 6, wherein theportable device includes, as one of the driving components, acommunication function component configured to send state dataindicating a state of the portable device, the charger including: acommunication unit which enables wireless communication with thecommunication function component when the power-supplying modulesupplies the power to the power-receiving module; and a display unitconfigured to display charging information based on the state datareceived by the communication unit.
 8. A power source circuit substratecomprising: a charging unit configured to charge a secondary battery byan input of outside power from outside of a portable device; a pluralityof transformation units each configured to output charged power of thesecondary battery at a driving voltage of a corresponding one of aplurality of driving components; a detection unit configured to detectthe input of the outside power to the charging unit; and a switchingcontroller configured to switch a state of one of the plurality oftransformation units from an operation state to a stopped stateresponsive to detecting the input of the outside power to the chargingunit causing only the corresponding one of the plurality of drivingcomponents to stop operation during charging of the secondary battery.9. The power source circuit substrate according to claim 8, wherein thepower source circuit substrate is formed as an integrated circuitsubstrate.
 10. A body mount device comprising the power source circuitsubstrate according to claim
 8. 11. Hearing aids comprising the powersource circuit substrate according to claim
 8. 12. A power sourcecircuit substrate comprising: a charging unit configured to charge asecondary battery by an input of outside power from outside of aportable device; a plurality of processing units each driven by chargedpower of the secondary battery; and a switching controller configured toswitch a state of one of the plurality of processing units from anoperation state to a stopped state responsive to the secondary batterybeing charged by the charging unit causing only the one of the pluralityof processing units to stop operation during charging of the secondarybattery.
 13. A portable device comprising: a secondary battery; aplurality of driving components each driven by charged power of thesecondary battery; a charging unit configured to charge the secondarybattery by an input of outside power from outside of the portabledevice; a detection unit configured to detect the input of the outsidepower to the charging unit; and a switching controller configured toswitch a state of one of a plurality of transformation units from anoperation state to a stopped state responsive to the secondary batterybeing charged by the charging unit causing only a corresponding one ofthe plurality of driving components to stop operation during charging ofthe secondary battery.
 14. A power-supplying method for supplying powerto a secondary battery of a portable device, the portable deviceincluding: (i) the secondary battery, (ii) a plurality of drivingcomponents driven by charged power of the secondary battery, (iii) acharging unit configured to charge the secondary battery by an input ofoutside power from outside of the portable device in a contactlessmanner, (iv) a plurality of transformation units each configured tooutput the charged power of the secondary battery at a driving voltageof a corresponding one of the plurality of driving components, and (v) adetection unit configured to detect the input of the charging unit tothe outside power, the method comprising: switching a state of one ofthe plurality of transformation units from an operation state to astopped state responsive to the input of the outside power to thecharging unit being detected by the detection unit, so that only thecorresponding one of the plurality of driving components is prohibitedto operate during charging of the secondary battery.